Tales of the Alpha Twins
by stariousfalls
Summary: Just a small collection of Gravity Falls drabbles, short fics, and some one-shots involving Ford and Mabel bonding.
1. The Gift of Sweaters

**Title:** The Gift of Sweaters

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, Stanley Pines (brief appearance), and Dipper Pines (brief appearance)

 **Word Count:** ~650

 **Summary:** Mabel decides to make a new sweater for her Grunkle Ford.

 **A/N:** This fandom needs more Ford and Mabel bonding stuff so here have a little drabble, haha. (btw I suck at making summaries haha) Also, I originally posted this on my tumblr, but I eventually decided that I should share my short fics and drabbles on here as well! (I've posted others on my blog, so depending on how popular this gets I may post my other ones on here as well.)

I also take on requests, so feel free to comment with some suggestions! (Or you could also send me a message on my tumblr as well. Url is the same as my fanfic username, haha

P.S. If you haven't noticed already, I'm really passionate about these two bonding okay, haha.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"What's up with the large sweater?" Dipper asked his sister in curiosity, noticing the multiple balls of yarn beside her, as well as the sweater in her lap that appeared to be bigger than her own body.

Mabel shrugged, smiling wide as she continued knitting her next project. "I just thought I'd be nice to make a bigger one, y'know?"

And with that, Dipper just slightly smiled in reply and walked off. Good. Now with her brother off doing his own thing, she could continue with her handiwork in the living room, as another episode of Ducktective played in the background. It wasn't until she heard much larger footsteps that she decided to quickly scrunch up the sweater she was working on, and slip it behind her back before she saw Stan enter the room.

Though she sighed in relief when she realized it wasn't her Grunkle Ford, and casually pulled her handiwork back out onto her lap.

"What'cha working on, kiddo?" Stan questioned as he made his way to the recliner in front of the television, picking up on Mabel's odd behavior as he sat down.

"Oh, y'know—just a new sweater. The usual." She answered with a small smile as she continued to work on her project.

* * *

Before Ford sat on the couch in his room and got himself situated to sleep, he noticed something folded neatly at the edge. As Ford cautiously picked the item up, he saw a something fall to the ground. Out of curiosity he reached down for it, immediately taking notice of the spots of glitter and sparkles that covered the little slip of paper. Turning it over, he then found a little note scribbled in glittery and colorful ink:

 _'I noticed your current sweater was a little worn out, so I went and made you one of my top-of-the-line handmade sweaters! I hope you like it!'_

 _-Mabel_

He then held out the article of clothing, softly smiling when he noticed its unique design on the front of the red sweater. It almost exactly matched the same color of the sweater he was currently wearing, but bared a lighter shade. His fingers traced along its sleeves, noting how much softer the sweater felt in comparison to his own. Perhaps he could temporarily make a slight adjustment in his appearance.

* * *

Mabel's face brightened when she noticed her other grunkle had come in (and with a slight change in his attire). With a gasp she slid off of her chair and rushed over to Ford, who was currently getting his daily morning dose of coffee.

"Grunkle Ford, you're wearing the sweater I made you!" She gushed as her hands made their way to her cheeks, all smiles.

He softly grinned in reply. "Yes, well—it feels a lot more comfortable than that other one I was wearing."

"Do you like it? Does it fit okay?" Mabel questioned with a quirked brow, hoping that he enjoyed wearing her gift and that she guessed the correct size.

"Of course, Mabel." Ford responded with a nod, ruffling her hair to show his affection. He had to admit, the kid's knitting skills were quite fantastic for her age. "It fits fine—and you can't beat the design!" He added as his grin widened, slightly stretching out his sweater by the hem, revealing its six-fingered hand symbol.

"My work here is done." Mabel said confidently as she let herself out of the kitchen with a satisfied grin. "Oh—and you wouldn't mind if you found a new sweater in your room every once in a while, would you?" She asked with a smile as her head immediately popped back into the room.

Ford shook his head slightly in reply, his smile still present. "No, not at all."

It only took another week before Ford found another sweater accompanied by a complimentary note. He wore it the next morning.

* * *

 **A/N:** And this ends the first drabble! Depending on how many reviews, favorites, and follows I get I may post my other ones in the future. Comments, favorites and so forth are appreciated.

Thanks and hope you enjoyed reading!

-Syd


	2. Consolation

**Title:** Consolation

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, Stanley Pines (mentioned), and Dipper Pines (mentioned)

 **Word Count:** ~1100

 **Summary:** After running into her grunkle after a nightmare, Ford decides to share something with her from his past in hopes to bring her spirits up.

 **A/N:** Here have a short fanfic, haha (and it's longer than my last one!). This world could still use some more Ford and Mabel bonding fics. Hope you enjoy reading. :)

I also take on requests, so feel free to comment with some suggestions! (Or you could also send me a message on my tumblr as well. Url is the same as my fanfic username, haha

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

Mabel abruptly jolted awake from her bed with a yelp, breathing heavily, heart pounding as she felt tears streaming down her face. Her grip on her blanket tightened for comfort as she glanced to the side with a frown. _2:30 am_. While she checked the time, she also noticed that her brother was sound asleep on the other side of the room. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved that he wasn't awake to witness her outburst or not. Either way, she decided that she should try to leave the room and take her mind off the horrors she dreamt of and slid off her bed, silently making her way out of the attic and down the stairs to the kitchen. Maybe a glass of water could help calm her nerves.

She insentiently rubbed the sides of her crossed arms as she entered the kitchen, pushing a nearby chair to the counter so she could climb up and reach the cabinet filled with various glasses. As soon as she grabbed a cup she made a beeline to the sink, where she eagerly filled the glass up with water.

She swiftly chugged the beverage down, feeling somewhat relieved by the time she left the glass in the sink and started to make her way back to the attic. However on her trip back, something unexpectedly slammed into her in the hallway, knocking her onto the floor with a moan.

"Mabel?" A calm voice softly called out—Mabel recognized it as Ford's. "Are you all right? I didn't mean to ram into you like that." He added as he proceeded to extend his hand towards her, offering to help her back onto her feet. She accepted the gesture, pulling herself up.

Her lips trembled as she struggled to find the words to speak a response. "I-I...I..." A tear slipped down her face, thinking back to her dreadful nightmare.

"It's okay—you don't need to say anything if you don't feel comfortable." He said in a comforting tone as soon as he noticed her mortified expression. He immediately recognized the reasons for her behavior, and found the situation all too familiar. "Though I think I might have something that may help take your mind off things for a while." He stated with a small smile. "Come along, Mabel."

She gladly took his invitation and followed Ford into the room where he slept (when he wasn't randomly passing out against some table down in the lab from overexerting himself). Mabel lingered in the doorway as she watched her grunkle stroll over to a nearby bookcase.

"Let's see here..." Ford trailed off as he scanned the shelves, pulling out a thick brown book with a slightly worn spine. "Ah—here it is!" He exclaimed enthusiastically, smiling when he recognized the cover.

She slowly made her way over to her grunkle. "Wait, what _is_ that?" Mabel chimed in questionably, blinking away any remaining tears as her brows quirked up in curiosity.

He lowered the item enough for her to observe it. " _Childhood Memories_ ," she read the cover's text aloud, tracing the letters lightly with her fingers. She glanced up, her face brightening. "You mean you have a scrapbook too, Grunkle Ford?"

He shrugged. "Well, more or less. My mother made it and gave it to me as a gift when I left the house." Ford smiled as he brought the album back up to his chest. "Wouldn't you know—the knucklehead actually kept this thing after all these years." He mumbled to himself with a slight shake of his head.

"I have one too! I've actually been working on it throughout the whole summer." Mabel said triumphantly, smiling widely. "I can show you it sometime, just like you're gonna show me yours!"

"Sure, sounds good, kid." He responded with a nod of approval, reaching down to affectionately ruffle her hair. Mabel couldn't help the grin that continued to spread across her face. "Now, let's get back to this, shall we?" He questioned while gesturing to the photo album.

And before Ford could say anything else, Mabel had already scurried over to the couch to have a seat, eager to get a peak of what her grunkle was about to show her. Her feet swung back and forth as Ford took a seat beside her. She snuggled into his side as she watched him open up the album's cover, revealing pictures of two identical twin newborns.

"Wow—I never knew you two looked so much alike when you guys were little." She commented with a grin, bringing her hands up to her cheeks as she gushingly added, "And you two are so adorable!"

Ford let out a genuine laugh as he continued to flip through the pages with Mabel. Most of the pictures she saw were filled with two children that were always near each other, all smiles and getting along, with the occasional rambunctious moments of Stan. The two carried on through the book, until Mabel picked up something and abruptly stopped Ford's page flipping. She pointed to a picture of two nine-year-old twins grinning ear-to-ear at the beach, noticing a slight difference in appearance between them.

"Wait a sec—how come you have glasses, but Grunkle Stan doesn't? Did he not have to wear any?"

Ford snorted in response, grinning smugly. "Oh, his eyesight was just about as bad as mine. He just decided not to wear any glasses. Thought he looked better without them, despite how much he really needed them."

"I think Grunkle Stan would've looked much better with glasses." She piped in with a smile, followed by a brief yawn.

Ford continued to go through the scrapbook, and found himself so absorbed in observing the remaining pictures that he didn't notice at first that his great niece had already started to doze off. Though as soon as he finished looking through the album, he then glanced to his side to check on Mabel, who had fallen asleep against him. He couldn't help but warmly smile at the sight. And before he could attempt hoisting the sleeping child into his arms to bring her up to her room, he felt a wave of exhaustion run through him. His lack of sleep the past couple days was starting to catch up with him.

Not wanting to risk disturbing his niece who was now sleeping soundly, he decided to stay put and found himself wrapping an arm securely around her as he started to doze off as well. He eventually joined Mabel in a peaceful deep slumber, taking comfort in the warmth their bodies shared.

The two found themselves covered by a blanket when they woke up later in the day.

* * *

 **A/N:** And this ends the second drabble/short fic! Depending on how many reviews, favorites, and follows I get I may post some more in the future. Comments, favorites and so forth are appreciated.

Thanks and hope you enjoyed reading!

-Syd


	3. Makeovers

**Title:** Makeovers

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, and Stanley Pines (brief appearance).

 **Word Count:** ~700

 **Summary:** After some desperate pleads, Ford allows Mabel to mess around with his hair and give him a little makeover.

 **A/N:** This drabble took longer than I'd hoped to finish, haha. (I'm still not sure how I feel about this one, but I couldn't just leave it unfinished, haha. Though I still think it turned out pretty cute. c':) Hope you enjoy reading. :)

I also take on requests, so feel free to comment with some suggestions! (Or you could also send me a message on my tumblr as well. Url is the same as my fanfic username, haha

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"Hey, Grunkle Ford?" An optimistic voice piped in, interrupting Ford from his train of thought.

Ford smiled softly when he glanced down and found Mabel standing next to him. "Yes, Mabel?"

"You wouldn't happen to be interested in getting a hair makeover, would you? Please, please, please?" She questioned with a hopeful smile.

His eyes slightly widened in alarm, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle. "Well, I'm not so sure that would be a good idea―"

"Aww, but your hair looks super duper soft and fluffy, Grunkle Ford!" She complimented enthusiastically, throwing her arms into the air. "It's like you have a little gray cloud on top of your head." She whispered in awe, bringing her hands down to her face as her eyes twinkled in admiration. Mabel had given just about everyone she knew well in Gravity Falls makeovers in the past, but she hadn't gotten chance to include her grunkle, who'd only just recently returned to Earth through the portal.

Hopefully he'd accept her pleads.

Ford saw the desperation in her eyes and couldn't help but softly smile and sigh in defeat. "All right, all right―you got me, kid." He hoisted himself onto the floor in front of the recliner, inviting his great niece over with a brief pat on the chair behind him. "So where do we begin?"

She let out a small squeal of delight, smiling widely as she scurried over to the recliner. Though before she took a seat she froze, remembering that she was missing something. "Wait, don't move, Grunkle Ford―I just realized I need to get some stuff. I'll be right back!" Mabel informed him before she rushed up the staircase to the attic, immediately grabbing her accessory bag as soon as she saw it beside her bed.

She briefly took a glance inside her bag, and decided to check and make sure she had the right items to use. Mabel shuffled through it, finding various hair ties in many shapes and sizes, as well as other hair accessories such as hairbands, bows, and other unique items. As soon as she felt satisfied with the things she had in her bag she ran back to the living room, finding Ford in the same spot she left him in.

"Here we are!" Mabel huffed out cheerfully with a grin, making her way back over to the recliner with ease.

And as soon as she took a seat and got herself adjusted in the chair behind him, her hands got to work; tampering and carefully messing around with his hair before she eventually finalized her adjustments.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Mabel questioned in curiosity as she held up a mirror to his face.

Ford analyzed his new look, noticing the various small braids, clips, and small remnants of glitter in his hair. He couldn't help but smile at his great niece's handiwork.

"I'd say it's an astonishingly good improvement." He approved with a nod, and proceeded to affectionately pat her head. "Thanks, kid."

"Success!" Mabel cheered, pumping her fist in victory.

While Mabel cleaned after herself, Stan entered the room, spitting out his drink in astonishment as soon as he took in Ford's new appearance.

"What's with th' new look, poindexter?" Stan piped out softly with a smug grin. "You finally showin' your true colors or somethin'?" He joked as he burst out into laughter.

Ford's face flushed in embarrassment.

"Aww leave him alone―I think he looks beautiful, if I do say so myself." Mabel enthusiastically retorted with a grin, bringing her balled up fists to her hips in confidence.

"On second thought, can I take out the hair accessories now?" Ford held up a finger to protest, but Mabel disregarded the gesture, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Nope! No take backs―you've already committed to one of Mabel's special hair makeovers! You've got to keep the pins and everything in at least until after lunchtime!"

"If I were you I'd just keep the stuff in. The kid takes pride in her work." Stan added with a genuine smile, reassuring Ford as soon as he noticed his brother was no longer teasing him.

In the end Ford kept the accessories in for the rest of day, which resulted in making his great niece incredibly overjoyed.

* * *

 **A/N:** And this ends this drabble/short fic! Comments, favorites and so forth are appreciated. Also, thanks so much for all of the comments/favorites/follows so far! It's great to know people are enjoying it! Hopefully I can get the next one posted sooner or later.

Thanks and hope you enjoyed reading!

-Syd


	4. Food Habits

**Title:** Food Habits

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, Stanley Pines, and Dipper Pines

 **Word Count:** ~880

 **Summary:** The Pines family discuss over what toppings they want on their pizza, which results in them talking about weird and unusual food eating habits some of the family have. In the end of the discussion, Mabel and Ford find out that they have a lot more in common than they thought.

 **A/N:** Okay this drabble has the whole Pines family in it, but it goes over stuff that Ford and Mabel have in common, so I still consider this a Ford and Mabel bonding fic. The rest is a bonus, haha. Hope you all enjoy reading, haha. :) (And excuse the weird food combinations, it's a headcanon of mine that Mabel and Ford have similar food eating habits and stuff, haha.)

I also take on requests, so feel free to comment with some suggestions! (Or you could also send me a message on my tumblr as well. Url is the same as my fanfic username, haha

And by the way, I've gotten some suggestions for what to write next, and I'll for sure consider each idea I've gotten! Thanks so much for the suggestions and support! It's great to know people enjoy reading these. :')

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"All right, kiddos. Since I don't feel like cooking or going out to eat something we're getting pizza tonight." Stan informed the younger twins, shuffling over to the phone while overhearing the two cheer in unison. "So what do you all want?"

"Sausage and pepperoni, preferably." Dipper responded with a small grin.

"Pineapple! Lots and lots of pineapple and glitter!" Mabel giggled back, smiling widely.

"Mabel, you and I both know they don't have glitter as a topping." Dipper retorted with a playful roll of his eyes, still grinning. Sometimes he wondered how she was able to down foods with heaps of glitter thrown in the mix. Couldn't eating glitter be considered being hazardous to your health? Mabel must have a stomach made of steel.

Mabel pursed her lips. "I like to dream, Dipper. But this girl definitely wants some pineapple on her pizza!" She said, placing her hands on her hips.

And just as the twins continued their small debate over their topping preferences, Ford entered the room, deciding he needed a break from working down in the basement. When Stan noticed, he halted in his actions to dial the number and call, now bringing his attention to his brother.

"Hey poindexter, what toppings do you want on the pizza?" Stan grumbled, scratching his side insentiently.

He glanced towards Stan as he thought for a moment. "Pineapple, if you don't mind."

Stan groaned in disgust. "Oh yeah, I forgot both you and Mabel liked pineapple on your pizza." He said with a frown. As much as he loved the kid, her food combinations were a bit unusual. Though it did remind him of all of the times he caught his brother having weird food habits as well.

"You like eating with pineapples on your pizza, too?" They said in unison as they glanced at each other, both equally in shock.

Mabel gasped, grinning widely as she placed her hands up to her cheeks in eagerness. "Do you know what this means?"

"What—"

"It means I can finally have someone to back me up when we pick out toppings for our pizza!" She gushed, letting out a soft squeal in delight. Ford couldn't help but smile at her actions. He thought he was the only one (at least in the family) that enjoyed the unusual food combination. It was comforting knowing that his great niece shared the same preference in toppings as he did.

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Stan grumbled out, rubbing the bridge of his nose in vexation as he sighed softly.

"Pineapple on pizza is so wrong on so many levels, Mabel." Dipper pointed out, shaking his head. "It's a sin to all of mankind."

"You can't say that, Dipper. If you've never tried it, then you have no right to criticize it." Ford instructed softly. "And I must say it has a unique taste to it that I've grown quite fond of."

"Oho ho! _Burn!_ " Mabel exclaimed with a slight pump of her fist, breaking out into a fit of giggles. "And to be honest, sausage and pepperoni isn't all that it's cracked up to be, Dipper."

"Says the person who dips their eggs in ketchup."

"Eggs taste _so_ much better with ketchup, bro-bro." She retorted, eyes narrowing.

"I can agree with that statement as well, Mabel. Eggs _do_ taste better with ketchup." Ford agreed with a nod, glancing down at her and the two exchanged soft smiles.

"See what I mean, Dipper? Even Grunkle Ford agrees." Mabel said with a smug grin, holding out a closed fist towards Ford for him to bump. He willingly took advantage of his great niece's friendly gesture.

"Oh, man—I remember when Ford used to do that when we were kids. Grossed me out every time." Stan grimaced with a shudder.

"You could've just looked away. And I still do it to this day, Stanley." Ford replied with a brief huff, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"That makes me wonder—what other eating habits have you kept since we were kids? Do you still dip your fries in ice cream or a milkshake? Eat popcorn with marshmallows? Dip your pizza in ranch? Oh, what else was there..." Stan trailed off with a smug grin. Ford frowned in annoyance.

"Just so you know, fries dipped in ice cream and marshmallow covered popcorn is _amazing_ , Grunkle Stan _._ " She defended, throwing her hands up enthusiastically. "And you've dipped your pizza in ranch? Does it taste good?" Mabel questioned Ford in curiosity, her smile widening.

"Yes, I have, actually. I used to enjoy doing that quite often whenever I'd get pizza for lunch at school back when I was younger."

"I've definitely gotta try that sometime," Mabel responded with certainty, now eager to give it a try, "since we've got such great tastes in how we eat our food." She added while nudging Ford's side with a grin. Ford couldn't help but let out a brief laugh and lightly ruffle her hair.

"So what's the verdict on the pizza, then?" Dipper questioned in curiosity, breaking the conversation on Mabel and Ford's unusual food combination preferences.

The Pines family in the end came to an agreement over two pizzas: one with pineapples, and the other with sausage and pepperoni.

* * *

 **A/N:** And this ends this drabble/short fic! Comments, favorites and so forth are appreciated. Also, thanks so much for all of the comments/favorites/follows so far! It's so awesome to know people are enjoying reading these! And like I mentioned above, I've gotten some requests/suggestions on what I should write next, and I can't wait to try writing over them! Look forward to the next one (hopefully I can get that one up soon, because I still have another one on my tumblr I haven't posted on here yet, haha).

Hope you enjoyed reading!

-Syd


	5. Reconciliation

**Title:** Reconciliation

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, Stanley Pines (mentioned), and Dipper Pines (mentioned)

 **Word Count:** ~1560

 **Summary:** Weirdmageddon is over and done, and Ford and Mabel end up discussing and reflecting over what has occurred recently.

 **A/N:** I originally posted this on my tumblr before the finale (and I probably should've published this here too as well, haha. But oh well.) But my goodness it's been a while since I've posted another drabble on here, haha. I wasn't sure what to title this drabble, but oh well. This is kind of like a little au, since this never occurred in the finale. I kind of wanted the two to talk about what happened since Ford came back through the portal? Idk but I hope you all enjoy reading. c:

And I've skimmed through reviews, and I've also just recently wrote a longer fic based on a request (it doesn't exactly follow what the person asked for, but I wrote something similar to it, so be prepared for the next update!)

As usual I still take on requests, so feel free to comment with some suggestions! (Or you could also send me a message on my tumblr as well. Url is the same as my fanfic username.

Also thanks a ton for all the feedback so far! It's heartwarming to know people enjoy reading these drabbles/fics, so I'll keep writing them as long as you all are up for reading more!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"I'm sorry, Grunkle Ford." She mumbled mournfully as her grunkle took a seat beside her.

That provoked confusion in the old man. "For what?" He questioned shockingly with quirked eyebrows. What could she possibly be apologetic for?

Mabel dipped her head down, hugging her knees to her chest for comfort as her tussled hair wrapped around her face like a curtain. "...This all happened because of me. This was all my fault." She choked out in a sob, feeling her eyes tear up.

"How was this your fault?"

"He tricked me…I…I had no idea giving that thing to Bill would cause him to come into the world. If it wasn't for me being so desperate for a never-ending summer, we wouldn't be where we are right now." She felt ashamed, and betrayed. Even though now she accepted her brother's apprentice opportunity, the poor girl before couldn't handle the reality of her being separated from her brother for who knows how long, and as a last resort, she unintentionally brought a dastardly triangle demon to wreak havoc upon the world. Who would've thought that Bill would try to use a young girl's insecurities and sorrow against her and coax her into giving him what he deeply desired for billions of years.

Ford placed a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort the girl, and Mabel reluctantly glanced up at him, tears now beginning to stream down her face. "Mabel, this wasn't your fault. Don't you ever blame yourself for this." Ford retaliated sternly, watching her lift a finger to protest, but he lightly pushed her away with a light shake of his head. He sighed, lightly shoving his glasses up as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "If anyone is to blame for all of this mess, it's me. It...it was my fault. I was the one who originally summoned Bill back in the day, despite all the warnings I read. Not only that, but I never should've kept the rift a secret from you. You or Stan, for that matter. I should've put my trust in all of you, not just Dipper."

Ford surely already felt like an absolute fool for being tricked into creating the portal, which shockingly resulted in bringing the apocalypse in the future. He'd spent countless nights after Bill's betrayal slipping slowly into insomnia—haunted by his deal with the triangle demon and other mistakes he also made.

After he returned to his home dimension through the portal 30 years later, he never thought his plans to keep the world safe from Bill's clutches would backfire on him. Who knew that keeping secrets and inadvertently creating a "rift" in the family would result in the world's (specifically the town's) downfall? He clearly didn't think over all the consequences that came with hiding essential information behind his brother and great niece's backs.

And there's never a moment where he's not wishing he could turn back time and change the past.

"I'm...I'm sorry if you've ever felt neglected because of me. Now that I reflect back on everything…I've realized just how much you've been hurting because of what I've done with Dipper, and completely pushed you aside. Was that how you felt? Rejected? All this time?"

Mabel slightly nodded. It was true. At first she was overjoyed for her brother—overjoyed that he'd finally met the author of the journals he'd been obsessing over practically the whole summer. Though as time progressed, she quickly began to notice her brother's absence. Rarely did she ever have the time to go out on adventures with Dipper anymore; or do anything else with him, really. Thankfully she had Grunkle Stan to keep her company, as well as her friends—but it wasn't the same.

Despite all the company she received from her other grunkle and friends, she still missed that one person who always had her back—Dipper.

When a moment of silence ensued, Mabel decided now would be the best time to bury her face in her knees again, preventing Ford from observing her hurtful expression. He drummed his fingers across the top of his legs as he was left in deep thought, reflecting over what currently happened within the past day or so.

"Hey—at least one good thing came out of all this mess." He finally spoke up.

"What?" She responded with a sniffle, currently baffled by his statement.

"Well, if wasn't for all of this, I probably never would've put my bottled up feelings aside and made up with Stan." He said with a smile.

Oh, yeah. She forgot about her grunkles finally putting their stubbornness aside and working things out. Mabel released a squeal of pure joy when she got them to hug it out as soon as their problems were resolved. She couldn't help but softly smile at the memory.

His smile disappeared. "Though, Mabel—just promise me you'll never beat yourself up over this. I don't know what I'd do with myself knowing you were trying to take the blame for everything, when the one who even made the first deal with Bill was me. I was the one who brought him back to manipulate people into giving him what he wants, and I was a fool for trusting him."

"I think quite a few of us can say we were a fool for trusting him." Mabel pointed out.

"Good point." Ford agreed with a slight nod of his head.

They sat there side-by-side for a few moments once more, before Ford finally noticed his great niece still appeared to be in distress.

"Is something else wrong?"

Mabel shrugged. "I mean, the main reason why I ran off before this whole Weirdmageddon thing started, was because I was afraid—afraid of growing up, and when I overheard your conversation about an apprenticeship with Dipper, I just didn't know what to do! I felt like I was gonna be alone, without my brother to count on, and that I was gonna take on high school by myself...and...grow up without Dipper..." She ended in a whisper, as she buried her face in between her knees. "Basically when this summer ends, I go home, and I have to leave everything behind. My friends, family, and all the fun adventures I've done here, too. I love this place so much, and I've had so much fun. I just wish that it didn't have to end. But I guess everything has to come to an end eventually."

Ford averted his eyes as he immediately felt his heart sink with guilt. Even though he knew now that it was mostly his doing for splitting up the kids and interfering with their relationship, he never intended to hurt either of them in the process. Sometimes he could really screw things up without being aware.

He released a sigh. "Oh, Mabel, I-I—I never meant to make you feel this way. I never realized just how much I've messed things up."

"It's okay, Grunkle Ford. Everybody makes mistakes." She reassured him with a soft smile. Mabel didn't want her grunkle to feel anymore guilty than he already was. She knew Ford meant well, but not everything he thought was right was for the best. However, he's fully aware of what his actions have caused, and knows how to make things right.

"But that's not all, either. To be honest, I don't really have anyone I could call a friend back at home. It's always been just Dipper and I. We'd have to deal with being picked on by our classmates often, and sometimes it's been a really rough for us over the years." She smiled sadly, adding, "but at least we had each other."

"Hmm...kind of sounds like your Grunkle Stan and I's situation, back when we were young." He glanced down and returned the smile. "However I was normally the one to get picked on for being weird, and having my abnormality. But now that I think back, Stan had it rough, too..."

"Usually I got picked on for trying to be my silly and weird self too, and I even got picked on here in Gravity Falls! But at least in the end I've learned to accept my silliness and embrace it. Though sometimes I still feel insecure, and I'm so afraid that high school's gonna be a whole different story."

"Hey," Ford hesitantly placed a hand on her head, causing Mabel to glance back up to meet his gaze, "whatever happens in the future now, just remember you and Dipper are always welcome to come up here to get away from all the chaos at home if you ever need it. Just be sure to let Stan and I know beforehand, all right?" He said with a smile, as he proceeded to affectionately ruffle her hair.

Her eyebrows quirked up in curiosity, which soon followed by a small smile of her own. "You really mean it?"

He nodded in reply. "Of course I do. You two are always— _OOF!_ "

Before Ford could finish the rest of his statement Mabel interrupted him by literally throwing herself into him, wrapping her arms around him to pull him into a tight embrace. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ " Mabel cheered optimistically as she snuggled into him.

Ford couldn't help but laugh in response, returning the gesture. "No problem, kid."

* * *

 **A/N:** And that ends the next little drabble/fic! Comments, favorites and so forth are appreciated. And thanks again for all of the feedback, favorites, and so forth! Hopefully I can get the next one up soon. :)

Thanks for reading!

-Syd


	6. Protection

**Title:** Protection

 **Rating:** t (there's some language and a little gore? just to be safe)

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, and Stanford Pines

 **Word Count:** ~1920

 **Summary:** Mabel gets herself into some trouble, and it's up to her grunkle to come rescue her from harm.

 **A/N:** Looks like I gotta change the rating on this fic, haha. But here's the next short story/drabble. Glad to hear you guys are enjoying them. :)

As always I'm always up for suggestions, and I may or may not use them in the future!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"Wait, Waddles—where did you go?" Mabel called out as she noticed her pig had disappeared into the woods that surrounded the shack.

Curious on his whereabouts, she decided to venture into the unknown, in hopes her pig would soon appear by her side once more. While trudging deeper into the forest, she called out for her pet pig, unaware of the ominous presence that lingered nearby.

"Waddles? Waddles— _oof!_ " Mabel suddenly wheezed out as she felt herself on the forest floor. "…What…was _that_?" She added with growing concern, slowly turning onto her back to try to get a decent view of what brought her to the ground. Though as she began to a take gander at her surroundings, she immediately regretted her decision of becoming curious, as she found herself being stared down by a set of red sharp eyes.

Mabel felt her heart stop while the creature's towering form observed her from afar. Eventually she broke eye contact with the dark, bulky monstrosity when she overheard a soft snort close by. She recognized the sound as her pig's, and despite how relieved she was to have found him, her blood ran cold with horror when her ears picked up an inhuman snarl which sent shivers down her spine. She wasn't sure what the thing was capable of, and she sure as hell didn't want to wait to find out. _If only she could get herself to move_.

"Waddles! Wadd...les..." She choked out between gasps, as she tried to pick herself up. Her eyes widened as she took a quick glance to the side and saw the murky creature shuffling near her. She could almost feel its red eyes piercing into her back as if she were its next victim. He sure wasn't finished with her yet. She pointed a finger in the direction of where they originally came from, bringing it to the pig's attention. "...Go...go back to the shack! Go, get—"

Before she could rasp out the rest of her words, the monster brought its massive, calloused hand towards Mabel, and she screamed as her small form was sent hurtling back towards a nearby tree at full force.

Waddles squealed in horror, taking Mabel's words and rushing back through the forest, wasting no time in reaching the shack.

* * *

When the pig arrived in the building, he immediately searched for the nearest individual that could be of any help to his companion. Waddles snorted in trepidation as he noticed there was no one to be found. At least, until he heard the vending machine open in the gift shop nearby.

Waddles pulled on Ford's trench coat as soon as he found the grunkle entering the living room, squealing to get the man's attention. The old man suddenly stopped in his tracks and glanced down in alarm, noticing the pig's distress.

"Is there something wrong?"

The pig brought a vibrant pink headband into its mouth and rushed towards the door, turning its head to glance back at Ford. Noticing the man's perplexed expression, Waddles released more distraught squeals, hoping that Ford would catch on.

It was then that Ford realized something was indeed wrong, and it made his stomach churn in uneasiness.

"…Did something happen to Mabel?"

His question was answered as soon as he heard the pig's squeals grow more frantic, and the man quirked his brows in concern when he saw Waddles run out the door, with a determined Ford not far behind him.

It wasn't long before Ford began to hear inhuman shrieks, which only drew apprehension in the old man.

"Mabel?" He called out as he entered and scanned the small clearing, frantically glancing around for any signs of his niece. Eventually his eyes set on a little patch of pink in the distance, and Ford immediately neared towards it when he recognized the limp figure was her. " _Mabel!_ " He cried out as he sprinted toward her, his heart pumping hysterically inside of his chest—so much that he could practically feel his head throbbing both from fear and anguish. His heart skipped a beat when he heard a petrifying shriek nearby and knew his time was limited. And before he was able to reach out for her, he suddenly found himself howling out in agony as he was forcefully thrown back against the ragged forest floor.

He hissed out through clenched teeth as he felt agonizing pain coursing through his body, and he could've _sworn_ he heard something pop. _Curse his old age_. Despite the injury he'd just received from the blow, he had to get up. His _niece's life_ was on the line. A small streak of blood ran down the side of his face as he slowly pulled himself onto his knees, using the ground below him to anchor himself.

Though before he had the chance to fully get himself back up, he felt the earth rumble under his feet, and that's when he knew that his time had just ran out.

" _Shit,_ " He cursed under his breath.

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel shrieked out in agony as she felt herself being dragged along the forest floor like some rag doll by the obscure beast's jagged claws.

" _No!_ " He screamed while he wasted no time in whipping out his gun, rage burning over the fear in his eyes. Ford took aim at the massive creature and open fired; the miniscule blast only successful in propelling the monster a few feet away from his niece. "There's _no_ _**damn**_ _way_ I'm letting you get your hands on her that easily—not while _I'm_ _still kicking_." He snarled lowly as he instantaneously pulled back on the trigger once more, making sure he could charge his gun for a longer period of time, so its ray could penetrate and obliterate the beast second time around.

Mabel yelped as she slid down the tree—the monstrosity's grip no longer keeping her in place on its trunk. Time was limited before the beast would start to trudge back towards her, but that small set-back was enough for her to get back onto her feet, and use whatever strength she had left to dart over to her grunkle.

Making sure his niece was safe behind him, he aimed the gun once more at the monster that began charging towards them, and intensively glared while he waited for the right moment to shoot.

"Enjoy your trip to hell, you _repulsive freak of nature_." Ford growled under his breath, as he pulled the trigger, and the vile creature was obliterated as soon as the gun's ray came in contact with its body. As soon as he knew the there was nothing left but some of the monstrosity's entrails, Ford proceeded to properly secure the gun back on its sash around his waist, keeping a straight face as he did so.

He released a deep breath, thankful that he survived the episode with minor casualties. At least _he hoped_ _**they**_ did.

Ford's eyes softened as he heard a broken cry, glancing back to see his great niece slowly picking herself up. He was at her side within seconds, helping her up onto her feet when he noticed her discomfort.

"Mabel! Are you okay, Mabel? What happened? Are there any specific places you got hurt?" Ford questioned frantically as he scanned her form, picking up on the occasional slashes and scrapes that covered her body. "I'm _so sorry_ I wasn't here sooner. For a second I...I thought I came here _too late_ , and I wouldn't know _what_ to do with myself if you were—"

"It's okay, Grunkle Ford," she interrupted him softly with a smile, adding, "and I...I think I'm okay. I blacked out for a moment before you came, and I'm not sure what else happened. I was in a lot of pain when I woke up, though. Must've been from when that thing threw me against that tree back there." She replied with a brief chuckle as she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. Ford noticed her distress and brought her into his arms, picking her up softly.

He felt her small arms wrap around his neck as she snuggled into him, and he tightened his grip around her. "Well, let's get you back to the shack and get you fixed up. I don't think I'd be a good idea to hang out here any longer."

When Ford felt Mabel's small form start to tremble, he began to rub her back soothingly, and rested his head on her shoulder. He then heard her mumble a soft 'okay' into his own shoulder, giving him the motive to start carrying his great niece out of the forest.

* * *

As soon as they reached the shack, he brought Mabel back into the kitchen, where he hoped any medical supplies of some sort were in the room. When he was unsuccessful in his search, he gracefully placed his niece in a nearby chair, and silently gestured towards the doorway that led to the gift shop.

"It'll be just a moment. I'll go see if I have anything down in the basement." When he saw Mabel's small smile, he nodded in response and sprinted out of the kitchen, heading for the vending machine.

It wasn't long before Ford came back into the room, arms filled with various medical supplies. He crouched down to his niece's level, and immediately got to work on tending to her injuries.

"What's that, Grunkle Ford?"

He blinked in astonishment while his eyes set on the unique object she pointed to. "Oh— _this_?" He hoisted the item encased in a strange rounded black case up in one of his hands. "It's something I picked up during my travels back in another dimension. Had a lot of weird and unusual medical supplies there, but very useful. You could say it's a lot more efficient than most remedies in our own dimension." Ford responded with a grin, as he proceeded to place the foreign cream onto the bandages that he wrapped around his niece's multiple cuts and scrapes.

Mabel grabbed the item, noticing that there was only enough ointment for one person when she looked inside. She frowned.

"There's only enough for at least one person, though."

"Yeah, well—that's all I have left of it, I guess." He mused aloud as he began to secure some bandages on parts of his niece's legs. Mabel was having none of that. She didn't want take the rest of the remedy when her grunkle was hurt just as bad (if not more) than she was.

She then pulled out a small bandage from a nearby box, peeled off the paper that covered its sticky appendages, placed a small portion of the foreign cream on top of it, and softly placed it over Ford's wound on his forehead with a smile. He quirked his eyebrows in surprise and temporarily stopped treating Mabel's injuries, as she now had his full attention.

"Wait—it needs something." She proposed with a raised finger.

"What exactly do you mean—"

He was interrupted by the small tap of her finger over his bandage.

"There! Good as new!" Mabel cheered with a wide grin, while she brought a small pocket mirror up to his face.

As Ford studied his slightly worn face, he couldn't help but smile at the little UFO sticker on his bandage that read: _"You're out of this world!"_ After lovingly ruffling the top of her head and bringing her in for an affectionate hug, the two finished tending to each other's injuries in high spirits.

* * *

 **A/N:** And this ends the next short story/fic! Hope you enjoyed reading! Any comments, follows, favorites are appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

-Syd


	7. Insecurities

**Title:** Insecurities

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines

 **Word Count:** ~980

 **Summary:** Mabel gets her grunkle to spend some quality time with her through arts and crafts, though in the end results in some insecurities arising. However with some comfort and encouragement from your great niece, that was all it took to be in higher spirits.

 **A/N:** jUST GOT SOME MOTIVATION AND WROTE THIS ON A WHIM. Based on a precious headcanon sent to me on my tumblr, I decided to write a little something over it. It doesn't exactly follow the whole headcanon, but hey. I wrote what I felt like writing, haha. I may write some more stuff based on the headcanons sent to me on my tumblr recently, so be prepared! :D Hope you enjoy reading. :)

As always I'm always up for suggestions, and I may or may not use them in the future!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"You know what, Waddles? I think I'm in a painting mood today!" Mabel declared triumphantly, placing her hands on her hips. Her pet pig only snorted lightly in response.

"But who to recruit…" She trailed off with a perplexed expression, lifting a hand to her chin as she pondered. Her face brightened as soon as she thought of the perfect candidate.

Grunkle Ford. He'd surely be up for making some art with her today. He was always up for partaking in certain activities with her, and how would this time be any different?

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel chirped optimistically as she swiftly hoisted a variety of painting supplies into her arms and sprinted down the stairs, on the hunt for her grunkle.

Mabel took a quick glance into the living room. No grunkle. She also spared a peek while Mabel dashed past the kitchen and gift shop, and also found no signs of Ford. She figured he was in the basement, as usual. While making her way to the vending machine she dropped her supplies off on a nearby table, figuring the items would weigh her down. Her small footsteps could be heard from miles away as she ecstatically descended the staircase to the elevator with ease, pressing its button impatiently as she waited for the elevator to ascend to her level. Before the elevator's doors could open completely Mabel was already inside, pushing the desired button that would take her down to her grunkle's lab.

"Grunkle Ford, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel called out enthusiastically as she exited the elevator and dashed over to the desk where her grunkle was hunched over, absorbed in whatever books lied across its surface and currently unaware of his niece's calls.

He didn't break his focus with his studies until he felt something grasp onto his sleeve, briefly astonished before he glanced down to find his great niece staring up at him with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. Ford smiled as he reached down and affectionately ruffled her hair, appreciating the abrupt visit Mabel decided to pay him.

"Hello there, Mabel. What brings you down here at this hour?" He questioned curiously as he allowed his great niece to climb into his lap, and wrapped his arms securely around her.

"Well, I've come down to recruit you for a very special painting mission!" Mabel declared with a wide grin, wrapping her own arms around Ford's neck affectionately. "And I just remembered that you promised you'd spend some time with me today!"

Ford paused and glanced to the side while he pondered, smile widening. "Ah, yes. I believe I did agree to that the other day, didn't I?"

"Don't even think about trying to get out of it because there's no way Mabel here is gonna let you back out on hanging out today, Grunkle Ford!" She giggled as she felt herself be brought up by her grunkle, who stood up out of his seat and strolled towards the elevator.

"So, what's on Mabel's agenda for today?" Ford asked as they ascended the elevator and brought his niece back into the gift shop, briefly hugging her tight before gracefully setting her down on the floor.

"Painting!" Mabel cheered with a grin, throwing her hands up into the air. "Lots and lots of painting!"

Ford laughed as he opened the _'Employees Only'_ door for his niece, watching her dart past the doorframe and to the table in the back of the room where her art supplies lay. "All right then. Painting it is." He agreed while he trailed not far behind her, and eventually took a seat at the table.

Mabel wasted no time in getting the paper plates out and squirting piles of assorted colored paints in each one. When she felt satisfied with the colors she selected, she pulled out two sheets of paper: one for herself, and the other for her grunkle.

"Okay! First thing's first is that I'm gonna need you to put one of your hands in any of the paints you see here on these paper plates." Mabel instructed while pointing to the plates filled with paint on the table before them.

Ford quirked a brow in confusion. "I don't follow."

"Here, I'll show you." She replied while taking hold of one of her grunkle's hands, then dipped it in the plate that had red paint. Before Ford could protest, she already brought his hand down onto the paper she gave him, leaving a six-fingered handprint when he pulled his hand away.

"Your hands are so awesome and unique, Grunkle Ford!" She gushed as she brought the paper containing her grunkle's handprint up to observe it.

"…You really think so?" Ford mused hesitantly aloud, more to himself than his niece as he brought his hands up near his face to study them for what seemed like the millionth time. "These extra fingers on my hands have only brought me mixed reactions. And not in a good way." He finished with a sigh.

"More fingers just means even more possibilities!" Mabel affirmed in reply, swinging her legs back and forth in her chair as she added, "You just need to think of things that you're able to make even better with your extra fingers. Positive thoughts, Grunkle Ford!"

"Hmm…" Ford hummed as he thought, and slyly smiled when his mind came across an idea. "You mean like tickles?"

"W-Wait, I didn't mean—"

"Gotcha!" Ford declared triumphantly with a laugh before reaching under his niece's sweater, his fingers rapidly brushing back and forth across her tummy, which resulted in sporadic giggles erupting from his niece. After a few minutes of tickling and constant pleads of defeat from his niece, Ford stopped, allowing Mabel to catch her breath.

And as soon as Mabel regained her composure Ford brought her back into his arms, pressing his forehead against hers with smile while he said softly in an appreciative tone, "Thank you, Mabel."

* * *

A/N: And that ends the next drabble! Hope you enjoyed reading! Any comments, follows, favorites are appreciated!

Thanks for reading. :)

-Syd


	8. Illness

**Title:** Illness

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, Dipper Pines (brief appearance)

 **Word count:** ~830

 **Summary:** Mabel feels a little under the weather, and luckily Ford's around to take care of her.

 **A/N:** Ahh it's been a while since I've updated this on here, but I've still been writing some drabbles! (I still have another one I haven't posted on here yet, whoops, haha) Kind of wrote this on a whim for a friend who wasn't feeling well a while back, but oh well lmao. Hope you all enjoy reading, either way. c:

As always, I'm always up for requests. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"Hey Dipper, where's your sister?"

Dipper frowned while he dumped some cereal out of the nearest box into the white porcelain bowl before him, brows furrowing in concern. "You know I'm not quite sure what she could be up to at the moment. Normally she's down here eating breakfast by now." He murmured in response, bringing a hand up to his chin as he pondered.

"I see…" Ford trailed off softly, frowning. The two spent the next half hour sitting in silence at the kitchen table, with Dipper taking occasional bites out of his breakfast. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Ford abruptly stood, grabbing the attention of his nephew once more.

"Wait, where are you going, Great Uncle Ford?"

"To check up on your sister." He affirmed calmly while releasing a soft sigh, his boots trudging across the rugged hardwood floor as he left the room.

While Ford scaled the stairs that lead to the attic he heard muffled coughs and moans, causing his brows to quirk up with concern. When he entered the room he found one of the beds empty, while the other was occupied with a small trembling bundle of fabric on its mattress, startled to hear vague whimpers emitting from it. He recognized them as his niece's.

The author quietly walked in its direction, stepping over occasional discarded items that lie across the floor. His heart ached as he heard his niece release soft sobs, her voice sounding hoarse and miserable. If he were honest with himself, he was hoping that his niece was just trying to catch up on her sleep, but found her curled up into a ball in discomfort instead.

Slowly, Ford eased himself and sat on the child's bed. The mattress lifted from the weight, and Mabel's moans of discomfort ceased, her form freezing in alarm.

"Mabel?" He whispered out with concern.

He watched his niece unravel herself from underneath her covers, pulling them back and away from her flushed face. She slowly hoisted herself up onto her bottom upon the mattress with a sniffle, crossing her legs as she brought the blanket back around her form, excluding her head.

"Oh – hey there, Grunkle Ford." She greeted weakly, which followed by a small fit of hacks and coughs into her nightgown sleeve. After her coughing fit she added while glancing around "What time is it?"

"It's quarter 'til noon."

"…Oh. Guess I better get up, then." She moaned as she rubbed her eyes with a yawn. However, while she tried to adjust to the lighting of the room from the nearby window, her eyes widened as she felt her stomach churn. "On second thought, I'll be right back." She mumbled through a clasped hand over her mouth and darted for the restroom, her feet scampering across the floor as she left the attic, with her grunkle not far behind.

Ford winced when he heard retching coming from the nearest bathroom, and his face scrunched up with concern as he entered to find his niece hunched over the toilet bowl, throwing up whatever remnants remained in her stomach from the past meal she ate.

Mabel shuddered as soon as she finished, and Ford felt his heart break when she glanced at him with misery-filled eyes. He neared her as she one of her small hands grasped onto the rim of the toilet bowl for balance, feeling dizzy. She surely couldn't keep herself up onto her feet.

"Grunkle Ford, I don't feel so good." Mabel whimpered while clutching her stomach, frowning. "And it wasn't because of eating a bunch of Smile Dip, I swear. I made sure to tell Dipper not to let me near those things ever again."

"Hmm," He hummed as he brought his hand up to her forehead. She was hot to the touch. "You're quite warm."

"Does that mean I can't go downstairs?"

"C'mere, sweetheart." He directed softly while he brought her up into his arms. "Let's get you back to bed."

Ford wasted no time in carrying her back to the attic, and his hold on Mabel tightened when he felt her snuggle into his chest. He placed her softly back onto her bed, swiftly bringing the covers up to her chin as he tucked her in.

"Hold on, I'll get you some medication to help break that fever, and something to help keep your stomach at ease." Ford informed his niece before quickly exiting the room, and coming back minutes later with some pills, sparkling soda and some saltine crackers.

After placing the drink and crackers onto the nightstand beside his niece's bed he held out his hand towards her, containing the two small pills. "Take these. They should help alleviate your fever."

She willingly took the offered medication. "Grunkle Ford?" Mabel questioned softly, grabbing the author's attention.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." She whispered with a weak smile, and Ford couldn't help but return it.

"You're welcome, Mabel." He responded warmly as he tenderly ruffled her hair. "Be sure to get some rest."

* * *

 **A/N:** And that ends the next drabble! Hope you enjoyed reading! Any comments, follows, favorites are appreciated! I thank you all so, so much for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows so far! It's heartwarming to know there's so many of you that enjoy reading these lil drabbles of mine. 3

Also thanks a ton for reading, and I'll try to get the next one up soon. :)

-Syd


	9. Forts

**Title:** Forts

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, and Stanford Pines.

 **Word count:** ~1600

 **Summary:** Mabel and Ford commence in a little pillow fort competition, but in the end up getting distracted. (if you haven't figured out already I suck at summaries lmao. There's more to it than what meets the eye.)

 **A/N:** I was inspired by a headcanon post on tumblr, so I wrote a little something. (And added some of my own stuff into it, too, haha.) Hope you all enjoy reading. c:

As always, I'm always up for requests. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

"I declare thee a pillow fort competition!" Mabel declared optimistically, grabbing the attention of her grunkle from across the table, who glanced up at her from behind a book he'd been reading.

"Interesting. And what are the rules, exactly?" Ford inquired intriguingly before setting the book down upon the table, smile now in full view.

" _Wellllll_ …it's pretty simple, actually — except only to make the coolest, most comfiest fort ever!" She shouted with a giggle while throwing her hands into the air, her face brightening.

"Fair enough. I'll take partake in your competition, Mabel."

"You don't need the timer, do you, Grunkle Ford?" Mabel questioned curiously, pulling out a stopwatch and extending her arm towards him.

"No need. I can keep track of time on my own." He answered softly while shaking his head slightly; adding with a smile, "Just notify me when it goes off."

Mabel nodded in understanding. "Annnnd the pillow fort competition starts... _now!_ " She declared cheerfully as she hit the countdown button on the timer, allowing the two only thirty minutes to construct their best craftsmanship. The girl made a beeline for the bedroom she shared with her brother, and grabbed anything that tickled her fancy as ' _cute'_ or ' _comfortable'_ on her way up the stairs.

Mabel grinned as she watched her grunkle dash in the opposite direction, looking determined, but still carefree nonetheless.

She used some old clothing pins to help hold up some blankets and sheets she picked up on her way into the attic, letting it drape over and around her bed, enveloping it. Before crawling inside of it, she made sure to pick up some stuffed animals, cushions, and other things to keep her company and occupied.

Her body froze when she overheard the alarm emitting from the timer she had set, letting her know that her time was up. She paused from her efforts to decorate the inside of her fort, immediately exiting it to go turn off the alarm and head down to her grunkle's room to check on his progress.

* * *

"Time's up, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel chirped out cheerfully as she entered her grunkle's room, taking notice of the blankets that were draped over and covered the couch he slept on. However she found no signs of him anywhere as she glanced around, questioning his whereabouts.

"I'm in here, Mabel." The author's muffled voice called out from inside the fort he'd made, startling the girl.

Forgetting about the competition completely, Mabel grinned as she made a beeline for the fort and proceeded to pull away one of the blankets, revealing her grunkle, who was sprawled across the couch and appeared to be lost in thought.

"Woah, where did all of these pillows and blankets come from? I didn't even know we had this many!" She gushed in amazement as she glanced around, taking note of the multiple stacks of pillows and other items that aided in supporting and holding up the blankets of the fort.

The author glanced towards her abruptly, grabbing her attention. "It's a secret." Ford whispered to her, bringing a finger up to his lips with a grin.

Mabel couldn't help but giggle, which resulted in enlarging the author's smile. The girl slowly released the blanket she'd entered through, encasing the space in darkness as it returned to its initial place.

"Woah, is it dark in here!" she laughed as she felt her way around the fort's inside, letting her hands guide her while she crawled to the opposite side of where she entered.

"Hold on – I think I've got something that could help light up the place."

The space suddenly was slightly filled with light once more as Ford swiftly exited, gesturing for his niece to stay put and she obliged. She softly rocked her body to and fro while humming a catchy tune as she waited for her grunkle to return, smiling widely.

It wasn't long before Ford came back inside with a mysterious circular item held securely in his hands, causing his niece to quirk her eyebrows in inquisitiveness.

"I didn't think I'd ever have the chance to get this thing back out." He excitedly mused aloud, gently observing the object in his hands, while Mabel glanced from afar with a growing curiosity. It didn't look like anything she'd ever seen before. It was a small, black semi-spherical object comprised of all sorts of buttons with foreign symbols etched across each one, and its top containing a small lens.

"Wait, what is that thing, Grunkle Ford?" asked Mabel, a slight frown on her lips as she neared toward her grunkle to get a closer look at the foreign gadget.

"Hold on, I'm trying to find the –" Ford released a gasp of surprise and grinned as soon as he suddenly got the tiny contraption to light up, "Ah-ha! There we go."

Mabel's eyes lit up as they were surrounded by what appeared to be...stars? Her smile reappeared as she watched the bright astral objects slowly revolve around them, completely projecting itself along the fort's walls.

"This was something I happened to pick up years ago while I was back in the portal. It's a device that allows you to project any astral object in the universe in _countless dimensions_. To demonstrate, you just enter in the location of the planet you desire to see, and..." He trailed off as he messed around with the buttons and plugged in some distinct coordinates, which resulted in the projection of a giant planet tinted a vibrant aqua-blue color, "there!"

" _Ooh,_ it looks so big and blue — like Neptune!" She said optimistically while throwing her hands in the air with enthusiasm, grinning widely.

"It does look like Neptune, doesn't it?" Ford questioned with a warm smile. "It's actually a large planet in dimension 492 known by the name of _'Zodia'_ by its inhabitants. I spent quite some time there studying its strange tundral world at the outer edge of its star habitable zone. The most dominate creatures that roam it were enormous intelligent arthropods...which I did end up getting into some trouble with not long after I was transported there..." Ford finished while cringing.

" _'Getting into some trouble with…'_ " She repeated inquiringly, placing a hand on her chin in wonder. " – So you mean there are aliens out there?"

Ford nodded, smile slightly widening. "Oh, _yes_. And that wasn't the only place that I've had to deal with other strange life-forms. There are so many different kinds of alien life, I couldn't even begin to comprehend how — "

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel piped in eagerly, interrupting her grunkle from his informative musings. Ford blinked and glanced down at his niece, giving her his full attention. "Quick question: do aliens wear _sweaters?_ " She whispered as her eyes sparkled with curiosity after edging near him and placing her face beside his.

"...Hmm. Not any that I've seen." He deliberated aloud, scratching the back of his head while he continued to ponder.

" _What?!_ " She squeaked in surprise, bringing her hands up to her face as she leaned away from the author. "But that's _crazy_ _!_ They obviously must be in some kind of fashion crisis!"

"I'm sure they're fine — "

"What they really need is one of Mabel's very own flash-makeovers." She added triumphantly, placing her hands on her hips.

"It's nothing to worrying about, sweetheart." He placed a hand on Mabel's head, lightly ruffling her brunette hair. "Though what we should be worrying about, however, is how we're going to clean up our little mess here. It's starting to get late." He added with a small frown. "We should probably start — "

"No!" Mabel retaliated immediately, wrapping her arms around one of his own, eyebrows furrowing with concern. "Can we just stay in here a little longer? Please?" She inquired with pleading eyes.

Ford laughed. "All right, all right." he said while lying back down across the cushioned floor of the fort. "But only a little while longer."

"Yay!" Mabel squealed cheerfully as she tightened her grip around Ford's arm. "Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ "

"You're welcome, kiddo."

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed with exhaustion she released a yawn, turning the contraption off before settling herself beside her grunkle, who proceeded to wrap an arm around her securely. After several minutes of silence elapsed, Ford figured that his niece had already fallen asleep beside him.

That is, until he heard bubbly giggles emit from the girl beside him.

"What? What's so funny?" He whispered in bewilderment.

Mabel stifled a giggle, causing the author's brows to quirk up in concern. "I can hear your heartbeat, Grunkle Ford."

For a moment Ford could only stare down at her in astonishment, slowly allowing the words to register in his mind.

Eventually Ford released soft chuckles in response, a goofy smile widening across his features. "Yeah, yeah. Go back to sleep, kiddo." He said lovingly as he proceeded to tousle his niece's hair once more.

"Okay." Mabel laughed, snuggling closer to her grunkle. "Though, Grunkle Ford?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Did you ever miss home while you were away?"

Ford tightened his grip around her.

"...All the time." He eventually responded in a sigh.

"So you would never go back, then?" She piped up softly, glancing up to meet his gaze.

"I wouldn't go back there even if someone were to bribe me." He replied dryly, and Mabel couldn't help but smile. "Plus, I would never be able to receive the world's greatest hugs anymore from my favorite niece in the world."

As if on cue, Ford's midsection was immediately surrounded by his niece's arms, and the author couldn't help but laugh and return the gesture.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that ends the next one! Hope you enjoyed reading it! As always any comments, follows, favorites are appreciated!

Thanks a ton for reading, and I'll try to get the next one up soon. :)

-Syd


	10. Healing Wounds

**Title:** Healing Wounds

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines, Stanford Pines, Dipper Pines (brief mention), and Stanley Pines (brief mention).

 **Word count:** ~2480

 **Summary:** Ford is left alone to tend to his wounds after a long day of trying to take down a dream demon alongside his family, hoping no one would ever notice or question the burns and wounds he earned as a result. Though what he didn't expect was for his niece to stumble across him attempting to treat them.

 **A/N:** I FORGOT ABOUT POSTING THIS ON HERE OH MY GOODNESS. I posted this like...3 months ago on my tumblr oops. ;v; But I got a request to write something over the injuries Ford sustained when being tortured by Bill, and Mabel being there to be his physical and mental aid by helping him and comforting him. :') This turned out quite long, but I hope it's all right nonetheless. Hope you all enjoy reading, haha. :) PS: And even though this doesn't really exactly align with what the journal had to say about what's under Ford's sweater (and I'm not gonna say bc spoilers asfasdf), I'm still gonna post it here. c: Also I've posted other fics since the last time I've updated on here, so I'll post those too. Look forward to it, I guess? Haha!

As always, I'm always up for requests. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

The author released a sigh as he saw his brother heading for bed at an early time – and he couldn't blame him. It was only hours ago that he'd went through a traumatic experience that left him clueless and memory-impaired. Mabel was a godsend, being able to find and show Stan her scrapbook, which entailed pictures and short commentaries over her whole summer experience. He had to admit — I'd been a while since he genuinely laughed and enjoyed himself with his brother and family, and couldn't have been more overjoyed to be a part of it again.

Eventually Ford was left alone to reminisce on the traumatic experience he had only recently witnessed (alongside his family).

He sighed.

Stanley has only been able to regain some memories back so far, but it was a start. They still had another week to bring back as many memories as possible before the kids were to be sent back to California. The author could only hope and dream that his twin would be able to recover all of his memories, but that was a long shot. Still, if he were to at least remember all of the good memories, that'd be good enough for Ford.

Ford suddenly groaned when his hand brushed across his wrist. Oh, yeah. He almost forgot about that; the time that Ford spent in Bill's fortress being endlessly tortured for both gaining information and for the dastardly demon's pleasure.

As soon as Ford finished off the rest of his beverage, he finally decided that it was time to try to relieve some of the pain (that he began to notice) coming from his neck and wrists, and eventually get himself to bed. His studies could wait.

* * *

Ford released soft hisses of pain when he brought his wrists under the running facet, hoping that eventually the pain would lessen. After five minutes of keeping his burns under the cold water, however, he never noticed or overheard the soft squeaking sounds of the floorboards from outside the bathroom.

It wasn't until he heard the bathroom door creak open that he became aware of the presence of his grandniece, who was now glancing up at him with concern.

"—Mabel!" Ford cried out abruptly as he quickly shut the facet off to the sink and pulled down the sleeves of his sweater. "I...I was just...I..." He trailed off and abruptly stopped speaking as soon as he noticed Mabel's focus was not on his face.

His actions to hide his wounds were futile, as Mabel quickly recognized his shaky and petrified gestures with a worried expression.

"Grunkle Ford?" She inquired softly in a worried tone, taking note of his cowering when she took a step towards him. "Is there something wrong?"

"It's...it's fine, Mabel. You don't need to worry about me — "

Mabel was careful not to startle her grunkle even more, as she proceeded to slowly approach him and latch onto his bare arm softly, which still earned her a brief flinch (whether it was from pain or surprise, she didn't know). She lowered his arm to her level carefully, pulling the sleeve back up and scanning the concerning burns around his wrist.

"What happened to you?" She mused aloud to herself while looming her hand over his wrist, hesitant to touch it due to the risk of hurting him. Though, she proceeded to continue in her actions when she saw the author's nod of approval. "Who...who _hurt you?_ "

Ford released a defeated sigh when his eyes met her concerned, desperate ones. He surely wasn't expecting a visitor this time of night, and he had a feeling that his visitor wasn't leaving anytime soon. _At least without some answers._

"It's...nothing to worry about, sweetheart. He can't hurt me anymore." He answered after a moment of silence.

Mabel's heart clenched when she realized who Ford meant. Of course the dastardly demon had to be behind it. She was never told the details of what happened between her grunkle and Bill, but she figured whatever happened between them, it surely wasn't good, based on her observations. She figured it was Bill who left him on the brink of losing his mind (as he briefly covered the subject when he came back out of the portal).

She couldn't even imagine all of things her grunkle may had to endure for their sake while being held prisoner in Bill's pyramid fortress. All the physical pain, emotional distress, or whatever else the demon may have brought upon him.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Grunkle Ford." Mabel immediately wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face into his sweater to try and muffle the sniffles that followed. She was at least glad that he was here now, safe and sound from the hauntings of the dream demon. And she could say the same about the rest of them as well.

Ford couldn't help but let a small smile grow across his features as he wrapped his own arms around her trembling form. "It's all right, Mabel. It's okay now. What matters to me most is that you and Dipper are safe and that everything is back to normal."

Mabel hummed to herself as a thought crossed her mind.

"Hold on, I'll be right back."

"Mabel, wait — " And before Ford could finish his sentence his grandniece was already out the door, going who knows where. Though the only thing the author could do now is patiently wait for Mabel to come back.

The author groaned. He honestly never intended to let anyone see the wounds and scars he'd earned over the years — especially what remained from Bill's schemes of torture to get him to talk. He didn't want his family to worry about him — or his well-being as well for that matter. He tried his best to hide what truly happened to him for the past 40 years, as well as what lied underneath his coat and sweater. His family had already gone through enough (specifically Stan), and they didn't deserve to suffer even more with him. Yet here he was caught by his grandniece, who clearly expressed high concerns for the man after seeing his wounds, which he never meant to expose her to.

Several minutes passed, and the author began to wonder when or if his niece would come back. Though, despite his internal suggestions of leaving to find her, he eventually settled on staying put. She said she'd be back, after all.

Ford wouldn't lie and say he didn't jump when Mabel kicked the door open.

"Allll righty, Grunkle Ford — if we're gonna get you all patched up I'm gonna need you to take off your sweater." She piped out softly while entering the room, carrying a bin filled with various medical items and supplies. He couldn't even see her over all the things she was carrying, there was so much. What was she planning to do?

He then could feel his heartbeat spike at the suggestion of discarding his sweater.

 _'C'mon, Ford — you can do this. It's just your niece. She only wants to help you out. It's no big deal.'_

As much as he didn't want to take off his sweater, internally he knew that it was for his own good. His family expressed concern for him and his well-being, and he should take advantage of the offer of help and support, especially when he vowed after all of this apocalypse mess that he wouldn't push his family away.

Ford took in a shaky breath, making eye contact with his niece once more before he slowly took his sweater off, revealing more scars and marks of injury that weren't covered by his undershirt.

Mabel could only state in horror as she scanned his upper-body. Besides the other newer wounds Ford had on around his neck and other arm, she took note of all the other older ones that were revealed before her.

What did her grunkle have to endure that caused so much scars and pain to his body? She couldn't even begin to imagine what other marks and scars that may lie hidden underneath his undershirt.

"Where...where did all of these other scars come from?" Mabel questioned with concern as she scanned his bare shoulders, neck, and arms — which bore occasional remnants of deep cuts and other nasty wounds. After moments passed and still not obtaining an answer from him she began to worry, she asked softly, "Grunkle Ford?"

Ford sat down cautiously and glanced away, avoiding Mabel's gaze as she climbed into his lap. She snuggled into him as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, resting his head on top of hers. "It wasn't easy being in the other dimension, Mabel. At first it was hard just trying to get used to a new environment...but then it became extremely difficult to get adjusted — especially when you were always on the run from those trying to hunt you down."

Mabel latched onto his shirt so tightly as if he were going to vanish before her very eyes. "...People were trying to hunt you down? But why?" She inquired softly as she glanced up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

No one deserved to be in fear of being hunted down — especially not her grunkle. What she didn't understand was why he seemed to be always on the run from those trying to bring harm to him. Even though Ford may have not realized, but as he was hurting over the traumatizing experiences he had to pull himself through, his niece was right there hurting with him. It truly saddened her whenever she saw one of her family members hurting, and she would stop at nothing to do whatever it took to assist and cheer them up in the best way she could.

And she at least hoped she'd be able to help her grunkle through this.

"I was in a dimension under the control of Bill and he would stop at nothing to find me, so he was going to give a big award to whoever could capture me and hand me over to him...and didn't matter to him whether I was dead or alive." His voice cracked at the end of his answer, which caused Mabel to wrap her own arms around his mid-section tightly. "But at least I managed to keep myself out of too much trouble before Stan could bring me back, where I was able to meet you and Dipper for the first time."

She was just planning on staying in the embrace for as long as he needed it, at least until a certain thought crossed her mind.

"Y'know what you need, Grunkle Ford..." She trailed off with a slight ring to her voice, grabbing her grunkle's attention. "You look like you could use some of Mabel's special love and support – free of charge!" Mabel finished with a grin.

Mabel eased herself out her grunkle's arms, eager to retrieve the supplies she took in with her earlier. She grabbed a clean rag from the cabinet underneath the sink, bringing it under its now running facet to soak it in cold water. As soon as the piece of cloth was done absorbing the cool liquid she swiftly turned the facet off, grabbing her bin of medical supplies and rushing back over to the author's side.

"You may want to sit on the ground for the first part." Mabel informed him, and Ford willingly complied as he hoisted himself onto the bathroom floor, his neck now within her reach to be properly attended to.

"This may hurt at first." Mabel warned him before she slowly eased the cool rag onto his exposed burns around his neck, earning some low muffled noises of distress.

Mabel flinched at his reaction, which followed by her murmuring apologies to him.

"...How long did he do this to you? These burns look like they weren't just a one-time deal."

Ford sighed. "I'm...I'm not sure. Who knows how many hours he took pleasure in torturing me. There were times where I passed out from all the excessive shocks and the various intensities of them."

Mabel narrowed her eyes, feeling her heart break at the answer. Careful not to hurt her grunkle, she slowly applied antibiotic cream onto the blistering skin before loosely wrapping bandages around his neck. She then repeated the same process with his wrists, being sure to place a wet cool rag over them before applying treatment to his other electrical burns.

As soon as she was done addressing his burns, she placed her own special touches on his bandages, decorating them in all sorts of stickers and whatever else she deemed colorful and appropriate.

"There! Good as new, Grunkle Ford!" She softly cheered, throwing her hands up to express her optimism.

Ford took a moment to study his niece's handiwork, taking note of the stickers placed among them containing words of encouragement. "Thank you so much, sweetheart. But you really need to – "

"Nope!" She interrupted by placing a finger over his lips, silencing him. "No more of that sappy stuff. I was more than happy to make you feel better, Grunkle Ford! So don't you even _dare_ feel guilty, because you've already spent enough time doing all that. You deserve all the happiness and love, Grunkle Ford, and I hope you realize that." She finished sheepishly, bringing her arms behind her back as she genuinely smiled up at her grunkle.

He couldn't help but return her smile. "Th…Thank you, Mabel." He finally spoke with endearment, bringing her into his arms once more. "But now it's time for you to go back to bed."

"What — "

Suddenly Mabel was hoisted up by her feet, earning a surprised squeal from her which later turned into a fit of giggles from her as he playfully swung her around. After several minutes of laughter and horsing around, Mabel eventually found herself hung over one of his shoulders, being carried by her grunkle.

"That wasn't fair, Grunkle Ford." She pouted playfully, placing her hands over her mouth to try and muffle her giggles.

"Wasn't fair? Whatever do you mean? I was just simply trying to pick up my niece so I can put her to bed." He replied in a teasing tone, smiling widely.

After a soft fit of laughter they entered the attic, where they found Dipper sleeping soundly in his bed.

"All right, Mabel — time for bed." He informed her softly as he pulled her down from his shoulder and into his arms, carrying her over to her bed adjacent from her brother's.

As soon as Ford placed her carefully down onto the mattress he found himself enveloped by a small pair of arms.

"Good night, Grunkle Ford." Mabel whispered into his ear with a small smile.

Ford returned the gesture, and let out a small chuckle. "Good night, sweetheart. And thank you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed reading! Favorites, follows, and reviews are appreciated. Thank you all so much for reading and keeping up with all my drabbles.

Until the next one!

-Syd


	11. Thunderstorm

**Title:** Thunderstorm

 **Rating:** k

 **Characters:** Mabel Pines  & Stanford Pines

 **Word Count:** ~1500

 **Summary:** When lightning suddenly strikes close to the Mystery Shack, it completely terrifies and startles Mabel, resulting in comforting from a concerned grunkle.

 **A/N:** I'M FINALLY BACK WITH ANOTHER DRABBLE AFTER BEING IN A WRITER'S BLOCK.

As always, I'm always up for requests. :)

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravity Falls!

* * *

A simple evening full of sunshine and pleasant weather would be considered an understatement. It's astonishing how rapidly a clear sky can quickly transition into a cloudy, tempestuous one.

However, the young girl paid no mind to it as she continued on with her daily routine of knitting, efficiently working on her next vibrant sweater to wear for the next day to come. A smile etched across her features as she felt the familiar warmth from her four-legged companion brush up against her.

Winding down from a day full of family activities and adventures was always welcomed. Mabel could practically feel her eyes growing baggy, which was a rare occasion for the optimistic girl. The thought of taking a quick swig of her infamous Mabel Juice was quickly brushed away when she realized her precautious grunkle disposed of it earlier in the week, and proceeding to give a full-on lecture about it being 'a dangerous hazard' for both children and adults. Even though Mabel secretly knew he'd taken occasional drinks of it to get him through nights of his research and studies. It had enough sugar to keep a normal person up for countless hours – stronger than a cup of coffee, for sure.

Nonetheless, the young girl released a yawn, and trying to fight the dreariness she felt as she carried on with completing her sweater. She had to at least finish what she started before she gave into the comfort of sleep.

Suddenly her body stiffened in alarm as she heard a roll of thunder, and that's when she finally glanced out the triangular window of the attic and noticed how dark it was outside. Upon investigating further, she also noted how fast and forceful the rain was, beating roughly on the roof above her.

Without warning it began to hail frantically, leaving Mabel alone to frantically drop her knitting needles and sweater and hide under her covers on her bed as she heard another rumble of thunder. The weather was getting out of control, and fast. Her breath hitched when she saw a swift flash from outside.

A moment of silence passed.

' _Breathe, Mabel…brea—'_

 _ **BOOM**_

The lights flickered out as the shack shook and rattled, startling Mabel, causing her to release a blood-curdling scream.

Her body was trembling uncontrollably as she abruptly fell out of her bed, scrambling to get off the floor. With a soft shriek she sprinted out of the room, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. Her heart rate immediately spiked, breathing in frantically and shakily as she flew down the staircase, not having a clue where she wanted to go or what to do, but at least somewhere away from the attic.

Being too caught up of the memory of the lightning strike she didn't even hear the petrified call of her name coming from the opposite side of the shack. Before she knew it she found herself crashing into something, or _someone_. The impact caused her to fall to the floor with a startled cry, while overhearing the surprised grunt emitting from the opposite side her. Yep, it was definitely someone.

And before she had time to process what had just occurred she already found herself being propped up, and proceeded to glance up to observe the fretful face of what appeared to be her Grunkle Ford. It was sort of hard to tell with the lights being out.

"Mabel?" It took him a minute to process what just happened before he realized he technically body slammed her only moments before, drowning him in guilt. "Oh my gosh, Mabel, sweetheart are you okay? I didn't check and see where I was going before I — " he questioned with concern, beginning to scan her body frantically for any signs of injury or anything else unusual.

However, before he was able to receive a response another round of thunder shook the shack once more, leaving Mabel to abruptly scream and softly push her grunkle out of the way as she dashed into the nearest room. She swiftly hid herself underneath the fabric draping over the table in the kitchen, bringing her legs up to her chest for comfort as her body trembled in surprise and fear. Ford wasn't far behind, calling out her name desperately and worriedly as he watched her disappear briefly out of his sight.

He managed to catch a glimpse of the tablecloth swaying back into place softly as he quickly strolled into the kitchen.

He crouched down onto his knees beside the kitchen table. "Mabel?" He whispered with concern, taking caution not to alarm his grandniece as he carefully pulled up the fabric, revealing the small vulnerable child. He felt his heart sink as he watched her slowly rock her body to and fro; hearing muffled sobs and whimpers escape her.

He couldn't stand seeing his grandniece in a distressed state any longer. He tenderly reached out for the young girl, immediately apologizing when he wrapped his arms around her and made her jump.

He slipped a hand over her protectively as he slowly pulled her out from under the table, being mindful of how close her head was to the bottom of the piece of furniture.

"Are you all right? I'm so sorry if I —"

Mabel held her hand up, abruptly silencing and stopping him with a nod. "I-It's okay, Grunkle Ford. I'm fine." She abruptly brought a sleeved arm up to her face, trying to brush away the tears that threatened to slide down her flushed cheeks.

Ford softly pushed her arms away as he brought a hand up to her face, watching her sniffle and forcefully shut her eyes as he began brushing the tears away himself. "You sure don't appear to look 'fine,' dear." he retorted with a concerned frown, eyebrows knitting together to further express his distress.

"...I-It was the l-l-lightning strike…near the shack not too long ago. I d-don't know – it just t-took me by surprise! I was s-so afraid that I would get h-hurt or even w-w-worse…or…or…" Mabel had to suddenly gasp for air, leaving Ford to tenderly rub her back to soothe her.

"All right, Mabel – there's only so much I can take of crouching down like this on the floor." he grunted out in discomfort before bringing his grandniece up into his arms, smiling sympathetically when he immediately felt her trembling arms wrap around his neck.

He heard another muffled sniffle escape from the young girl. "A-And it's not just th-that — but I get _r-really_ _really_ nervous whenever w-we have severe storms like these." Mabel added with a shaky sigh, feeling her eyelids droop as she found comfort in the warmth of her grunkle's arms.

"Guess you could say I have a little fear of lightning — especially when it strikes nearby." She eventually whispered after a moment of silence passed, finally resting her head on Ford's shoulder.

"And that's nothing to be ashamed of." Ford reassured as he tightened his grip on her. "And hey, how about I'll let you in on a little secret — as long as you promise not to tell anyone else, of course. Especially Stan."

The young girl released a muffled giggle, finally showing signs of delight after the incident – which relieved the author of his worries. "I promise!" She chirps softly with a small smile, eyes filled with curiosity. "Pinky promise!" Mabel edges on while lifting up her pinky finger.

Ford chuckled, gladly accepting the gesture as he wrapped his pinky around her own. "All right, all right. I'll tell you," he casually shrugged off the gesture with a triumphant grin, waiting for Mabel to pull back from his shoulder and glance up at his face before he continued, "Back when Stanley and I were kids, young and rambunctious — we used to have a set of bunk-beds in our room. Stan was on the bottom, while I was on the top."

Her eyes sparkled as she toothily grinned at him, and she only earned more laughs from the old man. He admired how she could always light up the room, no matter what situation she found herself in. He was just glad to see her smiling while keeping her mind off the storm currently blowing through outside. Though he assumed the worst of it has passed – hopefully. He didn't normally check the radar, due to being occupied with more important things.

"And despite how tough and ruthless your Grunkle Stan appeared to be on a regular basis, fighting off the bullies, standing his ground as he always stood up for me, as well as himself – there was one thing that left him completely defenseless and anxious."

"What was it?" Mabel's eyes glistened with curiosity.

"Well, as soon as I heard even the smallest roar of thunder I'd always find myself accompanied by Stan on the top bunk."

Mabel smiled, with a gleam of reassurance in her eyes. "So he was scared, too?"

The author nodded. "He eventually outgrew the fear, but yes — yes he was."

"Well, at least I'm not alone!"

"I assure you that you are not the only one who has a fear of lightning, dear." Ford implied reassuringly, and softly ruffled her hair.

At this point the thunderstorm was long forgotten, as Ford then proceeded to prepare themselves some warm beverages before lounging in the living room and exchanging silly (yet intriguing) stories for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed reading! Favorites, follows, and reviews are appreciated. Thank a ton for reading and keeping up with all my drabbles!

Until the next time!

-Syd


End file.
